My 2005 London Marathon

My first marathon, three weeks before my 50th birthday! What a fantastic experience. The last two miles went so quickly with the crowds cheering.

Worst moments: spotting a friend in the crowd at Mile 5, but in trying to attract his attention, failing to spot a bollard, going flying and skinning my knee - very dramatic with blood dripping down my leg for the rest of the race!

Also, my daughter's boyfriend insisting that the start was at Blackfriars not Blackheath caused some difficulties in rendez-vous with the rest of the family!

Best moment: finally seeing my family at Mile 18 - a great boost at that stage of the run.

The RW e-mails have been really good and have helped to focus the training superbly, especially the speed sessions.

I have been euphoric over my 3:27 time as I had set myself a target of under 4 hours when I first decided to do the marathon! Thanks for all your help.

Shepherdess, 3:57:09

This was my first marathon, London or otherwise, and I loved absolutely every second of it. I went off quite slowly - it was so hot and I'm so not used to running in the heat - but I felt so great all the way round that I'm sure I could have run it faster.

The worst part was being in the queue for the toilets at Blackheath at 9.35 - 35 minutes after I started queuing - and being convinced I'd never make it to the start on time. Still it stopped me being nervous.

The best moment (apart from my folks managing to pop up in at least seven places on the route) was coming out of the tunnel onto the Embankment. I was already feeling pretty hyperactive because I knew there were only a few miles to go - but the noise, and the people! That was the moment when I suddenly thought: "Bloody hell, I'm actually going to do this. In 20 minutes or so I'll actually have finished running the London Marathon!" I ran those last two miles quicker than any of the others.

But the biggest surprise was how far it is to Buck Palace. I kept thinking "I'm sure it's here somewhere", but the road kept on going and going.... And today I got back to the office to find that my workmates had constructed an arch of triumph out of golden balloons over my desk, complete with flowers and a huge mocked up picture of Paula crossing the finish line with my head on her body!

The best tip I was given was to have my name on my shirt - the support from all those complete strangers was incredible. I really did love every second and I can't wait for next year, when I plan to run 3:30 if it kills me!

Stephen Trevallion, 3:27

Well I doubt this one counts, as I didn't do the London Marathon... Instead I was running the Lyon Marathon, in France, on the same day. The weather was, dare I say, typically British: it poured and after a light drizzle, it poured again... And all this water in temperatures hovering around the 3°C. Bloody marvellous for a first marathon...

So what was my best moment? Difficult to say. I certainly didn't feel 'over the moon' at the finish. This could have been because I was frozen. No, the best moment was getting the results and finding out that I had finished 907 out of 2841.

The worst moment? Running through the largest, deepest puddle in the world at kilometre 41.

The biggest surprise? My time. First marathon and finished in 3 hours 27.

What would I do differently? Wear wellington boots. Or come over and do the London Marathon.

The key to my success? Shouting like a big girlie through the puddles... I hate puddles.

So there you are... While you lot were running in the sun, we were freezing in the water. Great morning though.

Red Williams, 3:48:23

Absolutely fantastic! I smashed my 2002 time by seconds short of an hour! I roared through the first half in 1:42 - then paid the price as it got hotter and I became dehydrated. I took on as much fluid as I could but still got terrible pain in both calves at mile 23...

My wife, kids and mam and dad were at Blackfriars Bridge to cheer me on at mile 24, a few hundred yards after rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson himself gave me a bottle of Lucozade... That kept me going and I staggered over the line to finish 7417th in 3:48 - well pleased as I was determined to smash the 4-hour barrier!!

Well done to all runners out there - the day, the race, the crowds were all awesome!!! And thanks to RW for all the sound advice and top tips along the way - great stuff!!

Puffy, 3:50:20

An amazing day!

We didn't seem to be hanging about much at the start before we were moving. Two miles in my bladder had gone (yet again...).

I spent the first 4 miles or so jockeying for space and finally got into the groove after about 6 miles. I had my mileage times strapped to my wrist and I found myself down at the halfway point. Finally I moved ahead of my target at 15 miles and after that I never looked back. I just seemed to go from strength to strength... I waited for the wall to come, but thankfully it never came. I guess there is a lot to be said for gels!

After powering along the embankment to the sound of the wonderful crowd shouting 'Go on Puffy' and 'C'mon Puffy', I finally finished with a time of 3:50:20! It was a fantastic day and I reckon I'll be back year after year if I can! It is the most uplifting experience in the world and I would recommend it to anyone- certainly worth all the many months of training.

Best Moment: The crowd along Embankment. I needed them more than any other time, and they kept me going. I can't thank them enough.

Most memorable moment: Too many to mention, but one that stands out was giving my mum high fives at mile 7!

What would I do differently: Maybe drink a little less – I've never been to the loo so much in one day!

Key to my success: Increasing my longest runs to 20 miles.

David Lombard, 3:47

The best moment: running down the Embankment, oblivious of individuals but aware of a mass support.

The worst moment: seeing fellow runners unable to keep it up and make it to the finish - what a huge disappointment it must be.

The biggest surprise: the ease of it all. I had problems with ITBS during the last five weeks before the race, and was panicking a bit, but everything held out, and I felt strong the whole way around. Bring on the next race! I think in future I'll be careful of over-training - as a novice I think it's easy to think that one is not doing enough and thereby actually end up doing too much.

A big thank you to everyone involved in making my first marathon such a memorable experience!

Stevie.B, 3:26

Did a Paula but managed to find a loo and still got a PB by six minutes. Will do it again.

The Treadmill Trainer, 3:13

The best moment: I'd trained for this race using the RW sub-3:30 marathon schedule. Luckily (and unexpectedly) I met with 'Desert Man' from the sub-3:15 forum. I'd been reading some of his and other postings on that thread only the evening before the race. I recalled his forum name when I saw it printed on the belt bag he was wearing, realised I might be able to use his pace to assisted me and ultimately I was able to achieve a pace faster than I'd ever run at before.

The worst moment: at about 22 miles I was following someone else who was moving at a similar speed to me along the middle of the road. He suddenly, and without any warning, decided to stop and walk. I crashed into the back of him, and in trying to avoid the collision I ended up in the crash barriers used to keep the crowds off the road. By the time I'd checked myself out, regained my composure, and got back to my original speed, I reckon I'd lost about a minute, which, in the end denied me what would have been a negative split for the race.

The biggest surprise: taking over 19 minutes off my PB and achieving my first 'Good For Age' time.

What I would do differently: pay more attention to my feet (I blistered after only eight miles!)

The key to my success: yet again, for the third successive marathon, using an RW training schedule.

Hopper, 3:32

Best moment: seeing the leading men coming the other way on the Highway

Worst moment: seeing so many runners starting to fail after about 23 miles.

The key to my success: this year it was training, building on last year's experience, and mentoring some new runners for my charity.

Brum Taffy, 3:50

The best bit: what fantastic support - I'll bottle it in my mind for quieter events in future.

The worst bit: post-race, which sadist had disabled the escalator down to the tube at Charing Cross!

Most memorable bit:. that glorious afternoon in London sunshine, seeing the respect shown by Londoners to the many souls with serene expressions, clutching their kit bag and medal.

Key to my success: I followed the RW schedule and made sure I didn't skimp on the hard sessions – the intervals and the hills - and achieved my sub-four target!

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